Music
Press
Mesa Drive is a great band and deserves recognition. - Brent Harvey
Mesa Drive could easily be Maroon 5's long lost brother; their bigger, older brother in college who is and forever will be infinitely cooler. The band's premiere album, Take What You Want, combines catchy melodies with jazzy bass riffs. Equally breathtaking are Chad Hansen's vocals––a smooth pop-jazz hybrid. Not enough good things can be said about this album, which plays less like a premiere and more like a well-seasoned pro-recording. Cozy and innovative, if you don't have it yet, add it to your Christmas list. - SLUG Magazine
“Mesa Drive is a very good band that understands the importance of working hard to bring an audience to their shows. They've been a real pleasure to work with, very professional and a lot of fun. I really like them!” - Phil Sherburne, Kilby Court
" Mesa Drive has found an original sound. It is not often that a band can pull from rock, funk, hip hop, and soul, to
create something new. Many bands try and fail, but MD makes the grade." Trevor Price, Producer
- Kilby Court
"Mesa Drive has a great polished sound. You might think you were listening to a Maroon 5 or a Train CD." Mister West, 101.9 The End
"Their music captured my attention from the first spin and are one of my favorites after 100 more spins!" Jesse Angelo, 105.7 The River
- Clear Channel Radio
Discography
Mesa Drive - Take What You want 2007
Single "First Sight" receiving airplay on:
KXRV 105.7FM
KSUU 91.9 FM
KXRK 96.3 FM
KMJY 99.5 FM
KENZ 101.9 FM
KPAC 89.7 FM
107.9 The Edge
Photos
Bio
You could spend hours comparing Mesa Drive to other Pop/Rock groups like Jimmy Eat World and Maroon 5, but those comparisons would never do the band justice. A four-piece band built on the idea of simple songs with catchy melodies, Mesa Drive not only defies stereotypical description; they define a new, unique sound. With their debut release Take What You Want, Mesa Drive blends jazzy rifts and smooth vocals with pop hooks and beats. The effect is infectious.
“We decided that we wanted to write music we’d listen to,” says vocalist Chad Hansen. The band formed in late 2003 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The members of Mesa Drive grew up in an alternative-screamo music scene, heavily influenced by the success of another Utah band, The Used. While trying to separate themselves from the musical trend in Utah, Mesa Drive, according to Hansen, began as a “funk/experimental” project. But it never quite felt right. “Most of us grew up listening to alternative rock,” he explains, “and after a while we just came back to who we really are. This is the music we love.”
While it may sound like part of an address, Mesa Drive is not a reference to an actual street. Rather, Chad Hansen—along with his brother and Mesa guitarist, Marc—explain it as more of an idea. Both were raised in Mesa, Arizona and the band’s name refers to the brothers’ move from Mesa to Salt Lake City. “It’s more of an idea,” says Hansen. “It’s about how life changes; it’s moving from one stage to the next.” This is the theme that “drives” the band’s music.
Mesa Drive’s debut album, Take What You Want, plays less like a debut and more like a star recording. Every track is brilliantly crafted, from the music down to the lyrics. Mesa Drive speaks plainly. This refreshing quality of honest, soul-driven songs has drawn hundreds of listeners to them. Easily Pop/Rock at its best, Mesa Drive carves out a unique sound which could very well save the genre. Listen once and become addicted!
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